What You Get For A Milk Carton
by siqwithaQ
Summary: Ace is tired. There's spilt milk in the kitchen, he has Writer's Block, and his little brother chooses now to come knocking on his door. About that? Ace doesn't have a little brother. So just who is this kid?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So, I don't know much about what it's like to write a thesis paper, so forgive me if anything I say is radically wrong.

* * *

He sighed and tapped his forefinger a few times on the desk in desiccation. Looking down at his paper, Ace knew that it wasn't nearly finished, but it seemed he had hit a small bout of Writer's Block.

Turning to glance at the clock on the wall behind him, he saw that he had been working on his thesis for two and a half hours now. Had he really been toiling over it for that long? He must have lost track of time.

Nevertheless, he decided it might be a better idea to take a break now than to force himself to think when he couldn't. He could tell his mind had checked out for the day when he re-read a few sentences and it was complete jargon to him, even though he was the author. Ace slipped a bookmark into a book on developmental psychology he had open on his desk before shutting it, and tossed his pencil into the curved mug he kept his writing utensils in.

As he exited the two-person study room into the narrow hall of his double-bedroom dorm, he stumbled over a pair of shoes that his dormmate had left lying in the middle of the doorway. He cursed and kicked the damned things over the light brown carpet. Normally he would go right to the man himself to scold him, but he was out who knows where at the moment.

Ace was in the bisected kitchen slash living area in an instant, rummaging through the refrigerator for a drink. Disregarding the need for a cup, he opened the milk cartoon and drank directly from the lip. Sure, it would piss off his dormmate, but then he should have considered that when he left his shoes out, shouldn't he?

Belligerently, he uncapped a Sharpie that was sitting on the counter and scrawled _I drank from this _on the side of the carton with an arrow pointing up, just to vex the guy.

He couldn't, however, get his mind off his thesis. He knew he wanted to make it erudite but avoid unnecessary circumlocution; he just wondered how. Maybe he should just abjure his notion of avoiding circumlocution. Maybe he needed to get a couple more sources than he already had before he continued. Maybe someone was knocking at the door–

…Wait.

Someone was knocking at the door!

"Just a minute!" he called instinctively, forgetting that he had a swig of milk in his mouth and spraying it everywhere. Silently cursing at himself, he shoved the carton into the nearest empty spot in the fridge and closed the door. He grabbed a towel from the cupboard and laid it half-hazardly over the spilt milk, and then catapulted himself over all the obstacles in his way to get to the door that was on the other side of the room, in the living area.

Wondering for a brief second why he felt the need to rush whenever someone came knocking, he finally opened the entranceway. Standing on the other side was a boy, probably only a few years younger than he himself, with messy coal-coloured hair half-hidden by a hat composed of straw with a red ribbon, midnight blue eyes accompanied by a scar beneath the left one, and a piece of paper being fingered tightly in his hands. The boy was gazing at him with intense curiousity.

"Hi," the boy greeted after a few seconds of quiet. "Are you Portgas D Ace?"

"Uh, yes. I am. Do you need something?" he asked, trying his hardest to sound courteous.

"Well…"

The piece of paper was shoved roughly into Ace's hands. He began reading it immediately, agog.

_Portgas D Ace,_

_Hi, Ace. I don't know if you remember me, but I took care of you for about a year or so. My name is Makino, and I run a small orphanage._

Makino. Of course he remembers Makino. He had stayed at her _Centre for Parentless Youths_ for his fifth year of life, before he was returned to Dadan, his old guardian's care. She had had to leave him somewhere else for the year because they were moving countries, and having a little tot like him around would just cause trouble while they made the preparations. If somebody else wound up adopting him, then all the better for them. They had never exactly liked him anyways. He had returned to his hometown for college, and found that it was much different than he remembered it. However, the _Centre for Parentless Youths_ stood exactly as it had all those years ago.

_The boy I sent to you with this note is named Luffy. You see, you are his closest living relative we could find –_

So, he was related to this kid he'd never met before that had just showed up unannounced on his doorstep. How wonderful.

– _and I thought it would be good for you to meet him before I asked you if you were willing to take him in. Luffy is your maternal half-brother –_

What.

– _and while I know –_

**What.**

– _it is probably unfair – _

_**WHAT?**_

– _to you to tell you something of this magnitude –_

A BROTHER?

– _in a note rather than in person, you should have considered that before you drank straight from the milk carton –_

AH! HOW DID SHE KNOW THAT?

– _when you were five, shouldn't you?_

…Oh.

_If you're willing to take care of him, please contact me. We can pack up his things and help him move in with you, or you can say no and your baby brother can stay at the centre until he turns majority age and sets out into the world alone, functionally family-less…_

She was trying to guilt trip him, wasn't she? That sneaky, conniving, manipulative –

Ace took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. Well, it wasn't as if he had intended to say no in the first place. How was a person supposed to say, "No, I don't want you" when a little brother is dropped in their lap? He had always secretly wanted a brother anyway, and besides –

He snuck a peek at Luffy, who was watching his every move with undisguised, enraptured fascination and eyes pleading for acceptance.

– Who could say no to a face like that?

It was strange enough for him to unexpectedly learn that this stranger was the son of his mother, but he could scarcely imagine how Luffy must have been be feeling. It must be a real shock, to meet your older brother for the first time, and wait to find out whether he was willing to embrace you as family or not. Especially after having lived in an orphanage for who knows how long, not knowing any other living relatives, possibly even bereft of companionship…

"So," he began, looking his otouto straight in the eyes, "when do you think we can go pick up your stuff?"

Luffy's eyes widened considerably, which was surprising considering how uniquely _large_ they were in the first place. Then he grinned a grin of absolute radiance and made the most adorable little squeaking sound, suddenly grabbing his Nii-chan in a bear hug. As Ace chuckled and wrapped his arms around the younger, carding his finger's through the boy's dark hair, he couldn't help but think he had the most lovable otouto in the –

"Oh my, Ace, don't tell me you have a catamite now," the voice of his dormmate interrupted. They jumped a little at his sudden return.

"_Thanks_ for _ruining the moment,_ Law!" Ace replied sarcastically.

"My pleasure. So is he really a catamite?"

"No, screw off! What's wrong with you?"

Ace froze for a second and mentally reprimanded himself. _No! Bad Ace! That's not how you make a good first impression!_

However, Luffy only laughed at the overly melodramatic face Law made, provoking Ace's dormmate to glare at the younger. _I can tell we're going to get along splendidly._

"Fine then. If he isn't a catamite, who is he?" Law capitulated.

"My little brother," he declared proudly, drawing another happy sound from Luffy, who was still holding tightly to him.

"Really?" Law blinked. "I didn't know you had a brother."

"Neither did I, actually," Ace shrugged insouciantly.

Law opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then seemed to think better of it. He shook his head, giving up trying to make sense of anything (or anyone) related to Ace. It was always a futile effort.

He strode briskly past them into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator. Ace and Luffy had gone back to hugging each other like there was no tomorrow when they heard a cry from Law.

"Ugh! Ace! You drank straight from the carton?"

"Uwah! HOW DID YOU KNOW?"

"YOU WROTE ON IT, YOU BASTARD!" Law yelled at him. "Exhibit A!" He presented the carton, where _I drank from this_ with an upwards arrow was written in black ink.

"…Oh, yeah, I did. Forgot," Ace said lamely.

As Law seethed, Luffy broke into raucous laughter.

"Well, that's what you get for leaving your shoes in the hall," Ace snubbed him.

Law made a sound of indignation as Luffy laughed even harder, letting go of Ace to actually _roll on the floor_ as he laughed.

_Huh. I've never actually seen anybody do that before._

Looking between his dormmate and his brother as they began to banter and smirking at the creative nicknames Luffy made up for Law, one thought surfaced in his mind.

_Oh yes, Luffy and I are going to get along just fine._

* * *

A/N: Guide to getting on my good side: Leave long and thoughtful reviews! The idea for this fic came from MatchboxLuffy, and the original prompt was, "Ace's life was one word, average. He was 22 now, almost done with college and living in a 2 bedroom house near the campus with a roommate named Law. But that all changes when Ace hears the doorbell ring late one night. When he opens the door he finds none other than a baby boy wrapped in a blanket with a note." Obviously, I took a little creative license with it, seeing as Luffy is no baby boy, but, nevertheless, that's where the inspiration came from.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Whaaaat fourteen reviews on the first chapter? *sniff* I feel so loved...

So this chapter has less brotherly interaction, unfortunately. It does introduce two more characters, though, and they interact plenty. I did try to fit in lots of brothership where I could, so I hope that pleases you.

* * *

Marco was already yawning persistently by the time there were only a dozen or so dolls and Lego pieces left by the children on the floor, but it wasn't until he finally finished tidying them up that he realized how heavy his eyelids actually were. Helping Makino take care of all these orphaned kids at the Centre was weighing on him more and more each day; he wasn't as young as he used to be. The bags under his eyes seemed to be a little bigger every time he looked in the mirror, and he just couldn't keep up with the energetic brats like he used to anymore. All he wanted to do was sleep.

He glanced out the window. The sun was almost setting anyway — he figured he deserved a little nap.

His plans for sleep were foiled, however, when a blur of red streaked past him and up the stairs.

He blinked.

He blinked again.

He blinked twice, shook his head back and forth, and rubbed his eyes.

_Was that—?_

Grumbling, he clambered up the stairs after the boy. He was really too tired to deal with this particular kid now, but who knows what the boy would do if left to his own devices. _Honestly, if that Monkey was acting up again…_

When he reached the boy's room — a room shared with five other people, all of different ages — he found Luffy crouched by his bunk bed, hastily throwing his possessions into two cardboard boxes. By the excited grin on the young boy's face, it wasn't hard to discern what was going on.

"Finally getting out of here, are you?" Marco asked as he leaned on the doorframe, smiling affectionately at the child he'd known for so many years.

"Yup!" Luffy took one more look around the room. "I think that's everything."

"Really?" He lifted a brow. "You just got here. How did you pack it all so fast?"

"Well, I kinda already packed most of it. Then Makino reminded me that I should make sure he really wants me first…" Luffy hoisted one of the boxes into his arms and stumbled backwards under its weight. "And he does! Move over."

Marco stepped to the side as the gargantuan box-on-legs came shuffling through. It was amusing to watch the small teen try to heft the heavy box — with much difficulty.

It was amusing, that is, until Luffy lost his balance at the top of the stairs.

Luckily, Marco was fast enough to catch him before he fell. They both breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.

"How about you let me carry that for you," he offered, "before you really hurt yourself."

The teen nodded, and Marco easily scooped the box into his arms. He ambled carefully down the stairs with Luffy following behind him.

When Luffy inevitably opened the front door of the Centre for Marco, the boy rushed into the small parking lot to hug a freckled man standing by a red jalopy. Marco trailed behind at a more leisurely pace.

"Is it just the one?" the freckled man asked when he saw Marco.

"No, there's one more, about the same size as this one," he reassured.

The man nodded. "Well, load it in. The back seat'll do."

Marco nodded back and opened the car's back door. He was startled when he found another man on the far side of the back seat, muttering to himself.

"Uh, there's someone—"

"I know. Just put it in."

Marco blinked. After a second, he shrugged, and pushed the box in as far as it would go, effectively gaining the previously distracted man's attention.

"Hey! It's squishing me!" he yelled.

"Suck it up, you whiner!" the freckled man yelled back.

"Seriously, Ace," the man replied in a warning tone, "I'm not enjoying this!"

"Then get out here and help Lu with the second box!"

"Will do!" the man said, turning cheerful surprisingly quickly. Marco was baffled at the sudden change. The man popped enthusiastically out of the other door and turned to Luffy. "Come, little hat-wearing one! We must fetch your… box!"

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered, pumping his fists. The two of them were about to run back into the Centre when Ace — as was his name — called back to them.

"Wait!" They both turned to him. "While we're here, kiddo, is there anyone you need to say goodbye to, or anything like that?"

"Well," Luffy tapped his lip in thought. "Marco, but he's right there, so I guess I don't really need to look for him or anything… My other friends don't live here, but I should probably tell them… tell him where I'm going."

"Tell whom?" Ace asked, and Marco could see concern edging its way into the corner of the young man's eye.

"Sanji!" he replied happily. "He's probably working right now, but they know me. I could get away with it."

"Do… Don't you have any other friends?" Ace was definitely getting worried now.

"Of course!" You could practically see the tension leaving Ace. "Well, not really. I used to. Maybe we're still friends, but I haven't seen him in so long I can't be sure. He lived across the street with his mum until she died, then he went to live with his dad and they're always moving from country to country."

Ace bit the inside of his cheek. His worries were back with a vengeance. "Well, okay. You go get your stuff, then we'll take you to see this Sanji."

"Okay! Let's go, Law!" Luffy told the other man, who looked just as perturbed as Ace. "I'll race you!"

As the two ran inside, Ace heaved a crestfallen sigh.

"It's really a shame, isn't it?" Marco said suddenly, causing Ace to jump. "He's such a nice kid. He deserves more friends than he has."

"Really, I'm just glad he's not friendless," Ace confessed. "God knows he has more friends than I ever did before sometime during high school."

A pause.

"Here," Marco began, pulling his notepad out of his pocket, "I'll give you directions to the Baratie." At Ace's questioning stare, "That's where Sanji works."

"Oh, thanks," the young man said. "So I take it you know this Sanji dude?"

"Yeah. He lived at the Centre, once upon a time. The owner of this restaurant adopted him a few years ago. He never lost touch with the rest of us here, though. Probably because he knew Luffy wouldn't have any friends without him." _Or maybe because he knew _he_ wouldn't have any friends without _Luffy,_ but if I said that out loud Sanji would kill me._

"Really?" Ace smiled. "He sounds like a nice guy."

"Oh, no," Marco smirked. "He's a _bastard_."

* * *

Sanji glared at the obstreperous customer who, for his part, glared right back, though less annoyed-ly and more spitefully. It was very clear to Sanji what kind of person this was, and what the best way to deal with the situation was.

Oh yes, goading him would be fun.

"What did you say your shitty name was? _Fullbody?_ Yeah right, you're only half of one. Half a man, specifically," he sneered.

"What?" Half-A-Man shrieked. It was a terribly grating noise. "How dare you—"

"Hey, break it up." Patty muscled himself in-between them. "You're scaring the other customers. Besides, Sanji, there's someone who wants to talk to you in the staff area."

"I hope you get fired, you punk!" Half-A-Man shouted at Sanji as he walked away.

Sanji rolled his eyes — he wasn't getting fired. He was the owner's adoptive son and the restaurant's second best chef, after his father, he _couldn't_ be fired. Besides, Zeff would never ask to talk to him in the _staff area._

The staff area was small — just a cubby room for employees to change into their uniforms. The only person he could think of who might want to talk to him there was…

"Sanji!" The exact person he had just been thinking of caught him in a flying-tackle-hug as soon as he opened the door. As usual.

"Hey, shit-for-brains," he greeted. "Not that it isn't great to see you, but what have I said about showing up during business hours?"

"But this is important!" Luffy protested.

"Oh?" Sanji drawled. "What is it?"

"I'm being adopted," the boy declared proudly.

"You're — _What_? That's — Did Shanks come back? Did he suddenly decide that it _wasn't_ too dangerous for him to adopt you and come back?" Sanji asked suspiciously. He had been very protective of the boy ever since Luffy had become his first real friend when they were young, and took Shanks' claims of adopting his friend of being _too dangerous _at face value, unlike Luffy himself. Because unlike Luffy, he had been told what Shanks did for a living. "Because if it's Shanks, you shouldn't—"

"It's not Shanks." Luffy pouted at him. Sanji's protective streak got annoying at times.

"It's not?" he back-railed. "Then… who?"

"You're not gonna believe this—"

"If it's related to you, I'm definitely not."

"—But they did some blood tests, and I have a half-brother. And we checked, he wants me! I have a brother, and he wants me! Isn't that just… awesome?" Luffy bounced in place a little.

Sanji gave him an indulgent smile. He better than anyone knew how much Luffy had always wanted family of any kind — in Luffy's mind, this was possibly the best thing that could have happen to him. Hell, in Luffy's mind, this was probably the best thing that _would_ _ever_ happen to him.

In Sanji's mind, however, it was dubious at best. After living for all these years with no family and few friends, a close relation to a stranger is revealed, and the orphan boy who craves familial bonds is whisked off the live his dream life under this 'brother's' care. Highly improbable circumstances — it was something out of a movie! He was going to wait until he got a good look at this 'brother' and his home before he would trust him with Luffy. He had to skirt around the issue for now, though, because contesting the realization of Luffy's wish would only serve to make the boy testy and uncooperative.

"Well, if it's such a big occasion then I'll have to come over some time," Sanji claimed. "I'll make you and your brother a meal, how about it?"

"Yes!" Luffy jumped for joy. "Sanji makes the best food! Oh, but you'd have to cook for his dorm mate, Law, too, or he'll feel left out."

"No problem. I have to work late today and tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure the day after that is fine. I'll call you later to set up the specifics," he told the boy, chuckling, as Luffy was obviously disappointed that he would have to wait. "I only wish I could do it sooner," which was true. The sooner he could determine if this 'brother' was trustworthy or not, the better.

"Okay! Thanks, Sanji!" Luffy gave him one last hug — unreciprocated; Sanji doesn't hug men — before he sped out the door that connected the staff area to an alleyway and out of sight.

Sanji sighed. He pulled out of his own cubby a pack of cigarettes and lit one up. They were always necessary after a conversation with Luffy.

_Let's see just how great this 'brother' actually is._

* * *

A/N: DUN DUN DUUUUUHHHHHNNN

SLIGHTLY DRAMATIC SITUATIONS OOOOOOHHHHH

So I will be incorporating the Mugiwaras, though they'll appear in no particular order, and you may be surprised by some of their roles. I have a hilarious idea for one of them, but I told myself I can't introduce that plot point until I introduce _this_ plot point, as extra incentive to get this out.

The next chapter will be very funny, I promise.

Toodles!


	3. Scene in Between

A/N: See, this is what happens when I save up my crazy for too long. You get a surplus in your updates.

Also, because someone asked, the age difference between the brothers is greater in this fic than cannon. Let's call it Luffy's fifteen to Ace's twenty-two.

Also also, I have this pretty much planned. I know how it ends, and I know the character roles, for the most part, I just need to know what all happens in between now and the ending…

Quick timeline so far, just for my own (and your) reference: Luffy meets Ace late in the day of Chapter One, sleeps over, and then the events of Chapter two happen, then this chapter is the morning after that. Sorry, just sure-ing the details down in my head and making sure the order of events are sensical.

* * *

"…And she told me we needed a ragdoll, a flag pole, and a kimono, when what we _actually_ needed was a box set of Doctor Who, a bicycle, and a microwave oven. We were just lucky we had an accordion with us and that we found that squid in the nick of time. So, that's why I'm stuck making it up to her by cleaning her fish tank, even though that whole debacle was _two years_ ago." Ace paused. "Also, that's why I'm prohibited by law from going back to Norway."

"It's not _really_ illegal for you to go to Norway," Luffy stared at him in awe and disbelief. "Is it?"

"No, seriously, they added it to their constitution. '_Ace er utestengt_'."

His younger brother responded with loud peals of laughter. From the next room, Law groaned at them.

"Will you two be quiet?" he complained. "I just so happen to get my hands on one of the genuine first-printed copies of the original Zorro movie from 1920, and you guys _talk _over the _climax_?"

"Uh, sorry," Ace apologised as he and Luffy stepped into the living area. "But, how did you get something like that anyway? I didn't know bona fide copies of that from so long ago existed."

"I know a guy," Law replied enigmatically.

"Wait a second," Luffy said, dubious, "The 1920's Mark of Zorro… was a _silent movie!_ How did we talk over a _silent_ movie?"

They both gave him a fixed gaze. Law scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"…I was imagining the characters' voices in my head."

"Wait, so you're saying," Ace started incredulously, "that you're mad at us because we were talking over the voices in your head?"

"Yes."

"That's… That's not healthy."

"Just go clean your fish tank!" Law stood up and physically pushed Ace back into the kitchen. Ace tried to dig his heels into the floor in resistance.

"Wait! I'm a psychology student; I can help you!" Ace yelled as he flailed his arms, attempting to catch himself, ineffectually. Law gave him one last push and he fell to the kitchen floor in a heap.

The med student turned to Luffy. They locked eyes for a while, staring each other down intensely. Luffy swallowed harshly.

"I'm just… going to get a glass of water," he claimed.

"You do that."

"I'll be back, though!"

"I'm sure you will," Law replied. "Now go."

Luffy pouted but trudged into the kitchen anyway. Opening a cupboard, he took out a glass and brought it to the sink to fill it up. When it was halfway full he got distracted by Law's movie and the water overflowed onto his hand, so he had to dump some of the glass' contents back down the drain. Otherwise, it would have spilled the second he tried to walk with it.

He was about to go back to the living area when his eyes stuck upon Ace, who was scrubbing the inside of a fish tank furiously and grumbling incoherently. Looking at the tank, he could almost imagine it as a living scene, pullulating with colourful fish and crystal clear waters, rather than the current barren griminess his older brother was working so hard to cleanse it of.

"Oi, Nii-chan…" He was still just getting used to applying that word to someone, but damn if it didn't feel good. "Can we get a pet?"

Ace paused his work to look up at him. "I think you're more than enough for this household, thanks."

"But, but… please? _Please?_" He gave his brother his best puppy dog eyes. Maybe they could get him an actual puppy dog.

"Well… fine." Luffy was about to start celebrating when Ace finished, "How's about a pet rock?"

"What? No!" he cried in despair. "_Everybody_'s got a pet rock! It's so unoriginal. Why can't we get a dog? Or a hamster? Or a parrot? Or a rabbit? Or mice? Or a cat? Or a rhinoceros? Or a—"

"Stop, stop!" Ace rubbed his temples. "We couldn't even _fit_ a rhinoceros in here. Do you have any idea much a rhinoceros costs, anyway? I've tried that before; it didn't work out so well."

"Well, what _can_ we get?"

Ace mumbled under his breath, wondering how the issue had changed from whether they could get a pet to what kind of pet they were getting. Then again, though they had only known each other for a couple days now, Ace was shaping up a bad habit of always giving his little brother what he wanted.

He looked between the fish tank in front of him and the glass of water in Luffy's hand as he was hit in the face with a brick of inspiration so heavy it nearly broke his nose. Reaching in with his hand, he scooped a little bit of the fuzzy green stuff that grew on the bottom of the tank and dropped it into Luffy's glass. The boy blinked in surprise. "There! How's _that_ for an original pet?"

"A… moss ball?" Luffy asked, incredulous as Ace nodded. "Well…" He trailed off, sneaking a glance into the living area, where the Mark of Zorro was still playing. "I'm going to name him Zoro!" he announced happily after a small amount of deliberation.

Ace chuckled as he watched his brother tapping on the glass, chanting, "Zoro-pi*, Zoro-pi, Zoro-pi my marimo…" He was glad Luffy didn't seem too bothered by being short-changed in the pet department. Maybe they could get a real one some day.

Until then, 'Zoro' would do.

* * *

**Special Extra! Luffy's First Night Over!**

"Here we go," Ace said quietly as he unfolded the couch into a bed. "This is good enough for tonight, but we'll make sure to get you your own proper bed later."

"Thanks," Luffy stage whispered back. They couldn't be too loud; Law was trying to sleep just a few rooms away. He had an early morning the next day.

Ace smiled as he watched Luffy dive under the covers enthusiastically. The boy declared, "This is _so_ much better than the beds at the Centre."

"So you're okay then," Ace confirmed to himself as he turned to go back to his own room. "Sleep tight."

"Wait!" Luffy called. His older brother looked back at him curiously. He shifted nervously under the scrutiny. "Um… Can you… sing a lullaby?" he asked feebly.

"Well… sure," Ace replied, bewildered. He reached in his mind for a moment, but there was only one song he actually knew. As he cleared his throat, he made a mental note to learn some new songs.

When he finished, Luffy was grinning like the idiot he was. "I like that song."

"Yeah, so do I," Ace leaned over to ruffle his hair. "So, good night then."

"Already?" the boy gaped, aghast. "But…"

"Go to bed, kiddo. You need your rest," Ace instructed as he stood to leave.

"Wait!" Luffy implored again, catching him by his wrist. Ace got the feeling he just didn't want to be left alone. "Aren't you going to check under the bed for monsters?"

"Monsters?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You want me to check for monsters?"

Luffy nodded frantically, shooting him a look with big, pleading eyes. "Please?"

He looked so very small in that moment, sitting on the bed and gazing up at him, eyes wide and round, begging and watery…

Ace melted.

"Alright," he said confidently, "let's check this puppy."

He kneeled down on the floor, scanning under the couch/bed. Nothing. Nonetheless, he made a couple 'hmm' and 'haaw' noises, just to play along.

When he glanced back at Luffy, his younger brother was peeking over the edge to watch him. "I don't see any."

"Of course not!" Luffy scoffed. "That's 'cause they're invisible! Even I know that."

"Well then," Ace said ominously, "Wait **exactly** where you are." With that, he rushed into the kitchen for some makeshift tools.

When he returned, he wore an oven mitt on one hand and carried a spatula in the other. On his head, a spaghetti strainer sat as a helmet.

"What are you…?" Luffy began, but stopped as he took in the ridiculousness.

"Vanquishing evil!" Ace proclaimed. With a battle cry, he stuck the spatula under the couch/bed and jiggled it around a little bit. Suddenly, his arm froze. "Oh no! It's got me!" He pretended to be struggling to keep his arm from being sucked under.

"No!" Luffy panicked. He shouted, "I'll save you!" and jumped off the bed, landing directly on Ace, who exclaimed in surprise and pain.

They both worked together to 'save' Ace from being pulled into the monster's clutches, making a lot of noise as they did so.

They had completely forgotten about not waking Law up.

"_What_ are you two dumbasses _doing_?"

Ace had half his arm jammed under the couch, and his free hand was covered in a purple oven mitt. Luffy had his arms wrapped around Ace's torso from behind, and Ace was wearing a _colander_ on his head, of all things.

"…Smiting monsters?" Ace offered pathetically.

Law wasn't impressed. "You look like a Pastafarian."

And once again, Luffy just laughed.

* * *

A/N: Wow, sorry for the wait. All my attention was taken by this one shot I've been working on, it's turning out to be really long. Like, I haven't even introduced most of the characters yet.

Also sorry for the lack of actual chapter in this chapter, it's more like a scene in between. I did introduce Zoro, though, so that's good. I threw in that extra for you, too, so hopefully no one is too angry.

*Translation note: -pi = an honorific added to the names of small pets.


	4. Sanji Comes To Call

A/N: I can't write accents. Deal with it.

I promised myself I wouldn't work on this until after I handed it in, and yet here I am, typing the night before the biggest project of the year is due. Damnit, inspiration! Why can't you pick more opportune moments?

YOU GUYS. YOU GUYS ARE SPOILING ME WITH ALL YOUR REVIEWS. Seriously, This fic has like five time the reviews of another of my stories, _Fishtail_, as of writing this, when _Fishtail_ has the same number of chapters (excluding the one I'm writing now) and has actually been around for longer. Makes you wonder.

* * *

Law had been watching them for all of five minutes now. He couldn't help it, he was just too curious.

He had come across the strange scene quickly after finishing his work for the time being. When he made his way to the kitchen to fetch himself something to eat (you know, sustenance and all that) he had seen Ace on the couch watching television and Luffy behind him, doing… something… else.

For the past few minutes, Luffy had been working his way up to the back of the couch. Normally, it wouldn't be a very difficult task, but he was trying to do it silently, which, for Luffy, was a feat in and of itself. Surprisingly, he actually was doing so slightly _(slightly)_ effectively — probably would have been more effective if he would stop giggling every so often — but Law suspected the only reason he hadn't been caught yet was because Ace was playing along and pretending not to notice. When Luffy actually reached the back of the couch, he crouched behind the back and smothered his laughter in his hand. Habitually, he would peak over the top of the couch at Ace every few seconds, grinning maniacally as he did so.

Luffy had a plan of some kind. Law wanted to know what it was.

Unfortunately, right when Luffy seemed to be preparing himself to do… something, a knock came from the door. Ace hopped up and hurried himself to the door right as Luffy hurtled himself over the couch with a war cry. He landed with a bang on the floor.

"Curses!" he yelled emphatically. "Foiled again!"

"Are you implying that you have tried this _multiple_ _times_?" Law asked as he approached to help Luffy up. "And that you have yet to succeed?"

Luffy just grinned at him.

Meanwhile, Ace opened the door to an unfamiliar head of blond hair. "Hello. And you are?"

"Sanji," the man said, looking him over. "I guess you're his brother, then?"

Ace nodded in recognition of the name. Luffy's friend, right? But what was he doing here?

Nonetheless, he invited Sanji in immediately. The man was carrying quite a few bags and Ace couldn't help but notice that he was surveying him suspiciously from the corner of his eye.

"Sanji!" Luffy cheered as he came up to greet him with a flying tackle hug. "You're here!"

"Hey, shit-for-brains," Sanji responded complacently. "What was that holler I heard just now?"

"You foiled my plans," Luffy accused, taking one of Sanji's bags from him and directing him to the small kitchen. Sanji rolled his eyes but followed.

"Ah, Luffy," Ace called after them, "did you invite him?"

There was a slight pause before Ace faintly heard their two voices squabbling.

"What do you _mean_ you didn't tell him?"

"He didn't ask."

* * *

Luffy had run off to find Law at some point, leaving Ace alone with Sanji as the blond prepared to cook. He cleared his throat nervously.

"So, ah," he drew Sanji's attention easily. The perpetually pissed look on his face was a little daunting. "It's great to meet you. I'd like to thank you for being such a good friend to Luf—"

"Stop. You won't win me over with shitty flattery."

"Win you…" Ace blinked perplexedly. "…over?"

"If you want my permission to keep Luffy," Sanji took out a cloth and spray bottle and began wiping down the counter. "then you better prove yourself."

"W- _Permission?_" Ace sputtered. "What do you- wait, what are you doing?"

"I'm disinfecting your shitty counter, got a problem with that?"

Ace could overlook the 'shitty' comment. For now. He didn't want to make Sanji any testier than he already was. "Nah, it's just…" he shrugged noncommittally, "we don't normally wipe down our counters before cooking."

"You _**don't**_**?**" he sounded absolutely scandalised. Something screamed at Ace that that was the wrong thing to say. "How could you be so _careless_ with your food? Don't you care whether the shit you put in your body is clean or not? That's **horribly **unsafe — do you _ever_ clean your countertop? That thing is probably _crawling_ with bacteria! What if you gave Luffy food-poisoning, huh? What would you do then? Because if Luffy gets food-poisoning here, I _will_ hold it against you."

Ace felt more and more ashamed as Sanji continued to rant about the dangers of bacteria-infested cooking areas and the effects of food-poisoning. When he finally finished, Ace bailed as soon as possible.

"I'll, ah, I'll just go find Luffy, then." And he was off.

* * *

After Sanji divided up the food among serving plates, he set to drinks. _For Luffy… Luffy likes milk, so that should be fine._

He opened Luffy's 'brother's' fridge to look for a carton of milk. When he pulled one out, words written on it in black ink caught his eye. _I drank from this,_ along with an arrow.

Well that was just plain disgusting.

He put the milk back. He sincerely hoped that was just some prank, but just in case, he probably shouldn't serve the milk. Water would do just fine, and it was pretty much guaranteed no complaints.

It took him a few tries to find the cupboard with cups in it, and when he opened it, only three cups sat waiting for him. He called over his shoulder to the other room, "Don't you have any more than three cups?"

"Hm?" Luffy's voice replied. "I'm pretty sure we had four. At least, I remember seeing four all at one time, so… Let me think."

"Never mind, I think I found it. It was on top of the windowsill," he said, reaching up to take the cup down from the windowsill above the sink. It already had water in it, but that was no problem because he could just clean it out. Wait, what was that… green… thing inside of it? He would have to wash that out, too, whatever it was, and make a note of the mouldy things growing inside Luffy's brother's dishes.

"On top of the windowsill? Why would it be… oh!" Luffy's voice lit up in realisation. "Wait! _Nooooooooooooooo!_" He dove into the kitchen and caught Sanji's hand just before he could dump the cup's contents into the sink. "Not Zoro-pi!"

"W- _Zoro-pi_?" Sanji sputtered. "The hell is a 'Zoro-pi'?"

"Zoro-pi is my pet marimo," Luffy explained. He took the cup into his hands, holding it gingerly and tapping the lip of the glass with a fond smile. "Nii-chan gave him to me."

"_Wonderful_," Sanji drawled. "But can't he… _live_ somewhere else? I need a cup to drink from, you know."

"But… but…" Luffy's bottom lip was quivering and the pleading in his eyes shone like from a lighthouse. Absolutely typical.

"Alright, alright, _fine_," he conceded. "I'll find something else to drink from."

"You will? Thanks!" Luffy nudged past him and carefully put the moss ball back on the windowsill. He gave Sanji one last appreciative grin before trotting off.

Sanji sighed. What the hell was he supposed to use if not a cup? Luffy didn't expect him to use a _bowl_, did he?

He fixed the cup of green moss a glare. Faintly, he heard muffled snickering.

He scoffed. "Oh, are you _laughing_ at me now?"

"No, no it's not," an amused voice came from the doorway. Sanji looked over to see a dark skinned man about the same age as Luffy's brother. "But I am." He extended a hand. "Name's Law."

"Sanji."

"So I've heard." He cocked his head at Sanji's bags, which lay on one of the counters. "They tell me you're a chef. Those ingredients? You chef-ing it up in here?" Sanji didn't get a chance to make a reply to that before Law changed the subject. "And you disinfected the counters! You know, it's good to meet someone who has a proper respect for hygienic environments." He stopped to consider. "Although I have to say such lengths are unnecessary. Perhaps a tad… overkill?"

* * *

When Ace deemed it safe to come out again, he found Law and Luffy sitting at the dining table already. Law, strangely, was pale-faced and horrified.

"Disinfecting the counter was a perfectly rational thing to do," he repeated to Luffy weakly. "Perfectly rational."

"You got a lecture too, huh?" Ace asked as he took a seat.

Luffy hummed. "He explained it to me, too, a long time ago. I'm used to it by now."

"Really?" Ace inquired.

"Uh huh. He said monsters would invade the food, and the spray-stuff was like the dragon that defended the food from them, but I don't get why he would want to use another monster to protect from monsters, or are dragons even monsters in the first place? I'm not sure…"

Ace listened fondly to the childish explanation, which only stopped when Sanji entered with the meal.

"_Steak au poivre,"_ he announced, "with crushed peas and potatoes."

Luffy cheered and Ace smiled in thanks. Law was brought back to the land of the living by the smell of food. Sanji served each person before sitting down himself. Ace couldn't help but note that he had a bowl in place of a cup.

Small talk was exchanged over the meal as the present company ventured to know each other better.

"You sound Irish," Sanji observed with some interest.

"I am," Ace replied heartily. "Moved there when I was five and spent most of my life in that beautiful country, bless it."

"He used to sound even more Irish not long ago," Law supplied, "until he got it his thick head that I had no earthly clue what he was saying. He got to working off the slang words and such after that, and now he's understandable to the majority of people. Still got the accent, though."

"It matches your freckles," Luffy giggled. Ace resisted the urge to slap him over the head.

"You should have seen him on Saint Patrick's day," Law informed conspiringly. "Got him drunk, dyed his hair red, dressed him up as a leprechaun. He was on the news."

"I saw that!" Luffy squealed. "That was _Nii-chan_?"

Sanji cleared his throat. "So, if you loved Ireland so much, how is it that you moved back just in time for Luffy's blood test?"

Law knit his brows together and Luffy gave Sanji a smouldering look that just said _don't you dare_. Ace merely blinked. "Well, I wouldn't say it was just in time… I mean, I had been living here for a couple years by the time I met Luffy. It wasn't exactly a simultaneous thing."

Sanji nodded, satisfied.

Before anyone could get another word in, Ace's head landed in his peas.

"What the hell?" Sanji stammered.

"He has narcolepsy," Law explained.

"I get his steak!" Luffy declared.

* * *

"So," Ace began as he leaned over the sink, washing some steak sauce out of his hair, "what do you have against me?"

"Pardon me?"

"I said," he repeated firmly, "What's your problem? What did I do?"

Sanji paused from re-packing his supplies into his bags. "You didn't do anything."

"Then what is it? What's your problem with me?"

"I don't have a problem with you," Sanji said quietly, resuming to put his things away.

"You obviously do," Ace insisted.

"I don't have a problem with _you_, I—" Sanji inhaled slowly and turned around to look Ace in the eyes. "I have a problem with… with people who want him in their care for the wrong reasons."

Ace felt something thick and sickening rise to his throat as he wondered what Sanji could mean by that. "What exactly do you mean, wanting him for the wrong reasons?"

Sanji leaned against the counter and ran a hand through his hair. "…The last person who wanted to adopt Luffy was this guy named Shanks. He was friendly enough, and Luffy simply adored him, but the Centre wouldn't let the adoption go through. I never understood why, until I learnt the truth about him," he paused. Ace wasn't entirely sure whether he was collecting himself or whether it was for dramatic impact. "He always wrote off not being able to adopt Luffy because it was too dangerous to drag a little kid to places like Egypt and the rainforest. He told us he was a world traveller. He was a wanted felon."

Ace sucked in a breath. To even _consider_ that _his_ little Luffy might have been placed in the hands of a criminal…

Sanji continued, "We never saw Shanks again, but Luffy still mentions getting letters from him sometimes. I make sure to rip them up every time I find them. I just _know_ that if Luffy had been adopted by Shanks, he would have been… He would have wound up in a bad place. So I need to be careful, make sure he doesn't wind up in the care of anyone like that. It's my responsibility."

"I… see." Ace was still reeling slightly. "Ah… Do I pass your test then?"

Sanji smiled. It was a surprisingly pleasant expression, for the blond. "You do." He produced a slip of paper he had prepared in advance from his breast pocket. "And here's your report card."

"_Report card?_"

"Just take it."

He took the sheet reluctantly. Looking at it, it was just a bunch of incomprehensible strings of numbers. Sanji pointed at one of them.

"That one's my phone number; call it if you need me. This one is his doctor's phone number and address; he has a check up with her next week. That's the backup doctor's number; call it if the first doctor doesn't pick up when you try her. This one's Makino's and that's Marco's, they're good if you need advice or if I'm not around to help. That's the Baratie, I work there, and it's where you can reach me during work hours most days. That's the address to the Thousand Sunny, he's signed up for some classes there, so…"

Ace felt exasperation roll off him in waves as he tried to keep up with the amount of numbers Sanji was giving him. He really did care about Luffy, didn't he?

_Well, at least we have something in common._

* * *

A/N: I've always had it written that Ace was Irish, but I never found a good spot to include it. This is good enough, I suppose. Anyhow! Thoughts?


	5. Illness

A/N: Long time, huh? The reason why is that, the sickness described in this chapter? Yeah, that's what I had, so I'm writing this one from experience. I missed a week and a half of school, not to mention a very _eventful_ week and a half, so I spent the next two weeks playing catch-up while simultaneously working on the constant stream of new assignments. I had four tests over the course of three days! And still more tests outside of those three days. I'm _still_ not caught up.

* * *

Things within their household fell into a sort of routine.

Luffy had gotten his own bed, which was moved into Ace's room by his own request. Ace still had to check underneath it for monsters every night, but Luffy was no longer as anxious about being left alone.

Once a day, Zoro would be given a pinch of food pellets they had gotten at a pet store. After a couple days of this, Luffy had noticed that the pellets still remained at the bottom of the cup and worried that Zoro wasn't eating right. Ace had taken to sneaking down into the kitchen each night and clean the food pellets out to make it look like Zoro had eaten.

Ace and Law had both become accustomed to disinfecting the counters before cooking, to which Luffy said he didn't mind since he was already used to it. Despite their efforts, however, Luffy had still gotten sick.

The first symptoms were coughing and sniffling, followed shortly by laryngitis. Then he was sneezing, multiple times and very often. His nose was very clogged, forcing him to breathe through his mouth most of the time, and his eyes watered and swelled almost entirely shut. He was getting the chills, he was suffering from vertigo, he was pale, his heartbeat was faster than anyone's should be, especially someone who had been staying in bed and resting, and, for some reason, he'd been hiccupping constantly for the last few days. Law and Ace found that he needed someone with him at all times to attend to him.

However, life persisted, as it so often did. The two college students _did_ have classes to attend, after all, and they couldn't be home all the time. Luckily, they managed to create a schedule that had at least one of them home while the other had classes. Currently, Ace was attending a lecture and Law was staying to take care of Luffy, who was asleep.

Almost imperceptible under the wet cloth on his forehead, the boy's eyelids began to twitch. They slowly opened into a watery squint, but hurriedly crashed shut again with a whimpering yelp of protest at the bright light.

Luffy felt someone lean over him. "What's wrong? Are you cold?" Biting back another hiccup, he shook his head. Noticing the volatile glow seeping through his closed eyes, he brought a hand up to cover them. "The light? Is it the light?"

Seeing Luffy nod, Law jumped to his feet and quickly went to turn the lights off. Instantly, the ill boy sagged in relief and gave Law a small, thankful smile. The elder merely sighed and dragged a hand through Luffy's hair, earning an appreciative sound in response.

A knock came from the door.

"Just a minute," Law raised his voice slightly, hoping not to disturb Luffy but still be heard by whoever was knocking. He whispered to the boy, "You'll be okay by yourself for just a little while, right? This can't take too long."

He tucked the blanket up to Luffy's chin — quite redundantly, he'd done the same thing three times in the last half hour and it had still yet to move enough to warrant so — and made his way out of Ace and Luffy's room, through the living area and to the door.

"You're looking banjaxed," his visitor greeted in a rough Irish accent. _Oh, fuck no. It's one of Ace's Irish friends._

"Gee, thanks, Nami. Now could you please just get to the point of why you're here so this doesn't take any longer than it has to? I have obligations."

"Whoa, what's on with you? You're usually…" she searched for a word, "…more polite."

"Just get on with it," he insisted.

"I'm here to pick up my fish tank, if Ace hasn't made a bags of it by now." She was talking annoyingly slow, as if she were purposely trying to get on his nerves. "But I thought, maybe if he were home we could get fluthered or something. Now _what_ is on with you?"

"Oh, nothing, just taking care of Ace's sick little brother who needs constant attention, thank you. So—"

"Wait just a — _brother?_ Ace never told me he had a brother!" she complained.

Law weighed his words. He knew that Nami had a short temper and he didn't want to bring anything more against himself accidently. "Well, it's kind of a long-lost, newly-discovered brotherhood deal. I'm sure he just hasn't found the time."

"That's guff! I talked to him yesterday!" She glanced around the dorm as if she were searching for someone. "Where is he? I need to see this brother."

"He's resting in Ace's room— Hey, wait!"

She'd already taken off.

When Nami opened the door, she wasn't sure what she was expecting to see. Whatever it was, it wasn't the darkness she was met with. After her eyes adjusted, she could make out a small figure in the bed opposite the door. The size surprised her, as she had been expecting someone either closer or further in age to Ace, but the boy she saw was roughly in the middle of the two extremes.

He was shivering. Nami had been about to greet him and introduce herself when he sneezed so violently it catapulted him from lying down into a sitting position. She waited patiently as he sneezed seven more times before it stopped.

"Hello, lil' fella," she murmured, gently pushing him back down to the bed. "I'm Nami. What's your name?"

The boy muttered something incomprehensible, and she heard Law say from behind her, "His name's Luffy."

She turned to see him leaning against the doorframe. "How old is he?"

"Fifteen," Law answered.

"So, a seven years difference between them, then? I was half expecting to come in here and see either a twenty year old or a toddler." She chuckled to herself.

Law snorted.

Luffy hiccupped.

A brief silence encompassed the room, during which Law ascertained that Nami didn't plan on leaving any time soon. She certainly didn't seem eager to leave, calmly analysing Luffy — probably looking for the resemblance between him and Ace — as she was.

"If you don't intend to leave," he acquiesced, knowing fully well how stubborn she could be, "can you do me a small favour?"

"Depends," she drawled. "What?"

He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the door. "I have to make some phone calls, but I can't leave the kid alone in his state. You wouldn't mind watching him for a few minutes, would you?"

"Not at all." She waved a hand leisurely with a pleased smile. "Go on."

"Great. The tissue box is on the bedside table there, and keep his head elevated. It'll make breathing easier on him."

"So," she muttered to the boy as the door shut softly behind Law. Luffy opened one watery eye to look at her. "Do you want anything while I'm here?"

He hummed, mulling it over for a second before offering a weak smile and rasping, "Song?"

She blinked. "Ah, sure. Has Ace ever sung to you before?" Getting a nod in response, she rolled her eyes and continued, "And I bet I know what song it was, too. He only knows one. He wouldn't know any at all, if I hadn't spent two months making sure that gobdaw had 'Keep You In Peace' memorised."

Luffy's smile widened. He let out in a breathy whisper, "I like that song."

"Want me to sing it?" An affirmative grin. "Alright. _Warm be the sun that shines upon you…_"

* * *

Phones had always seemed painfully loud to Law. As such, he held it a lengths away from his ear every time he used one, and now was no exception.

After what felt like an eternity of ringing, a click signified someone picking up on the other end. "Hello?"

"Hello. Is this Doctor Kureha?"

"It is. Who's speaking?"

"My name is Law, I'm one of Luffy's new guardians. He's sick."

"I see. Symptoms?"

"Laryngitis, stuffed nose, coughing, sneezing, vertigo, chills, expedited heart rate, watery eyes, and hiccups. He's also complained of headaches."

"Does he have a fever?"

"A small one."

"Does he have an appetite? How much has he been resting?"

"He hasn't had an appetite at all, and he hasn't left his bed since he got sick — except for the bathroom."

"And he's had plenty of fluids?"

"Of course, even if we've had to force it down his throat sometimes."

"Well, it sounds like you've been taking care of him pretty well, but I think I should come down to check just in case. I don't like the sound of that vertigo and heart rate. What's your address?"

After giving her the address, he dialled up the Thousand Sunny. An excited-sounding voice picked up. "Helloooo?"

"Is this the Thousand Sunny?"

"That it is!"

"I've been told that Monkey D Luffy has classes here. Is that correct?"

"That's right! He's signed on for classes Tuesday and Thursday evenings, as well as all day Saturday. He's been excused for the past week since he's moving but he should be back soon, if you want to leave him a message —"

"No, no, that's fine," Law rubbed his temple, a little appalled at how much information the man had volunteered about Luffy at just the mention of his name. "Actually, he's moving in with me. I just called to tell you that he's sick, so you may have to push back your expected date of him rejoining your class."

"I understand completely! It's a shame, though, that kid is always getting sick."

"Thank you. Good bye."

"See ya! Have a _super_ day!"

* * *

"So we hear this explosion, right? And the next thing I know I'm covered in glitter and the chicken has no head. But chickens don't die right away when you cut off their heads, so it's running around getting its chicken blood everywhere, and now I'm covered in that, too! Now, Ace is outside, banging on the window with a flagpole of all things, and who walks in right then but the Prime Minister!"

"He's already heard the Norway story, you know," Law interrupted.

Nami shot an irritated look at the recently returned Law and huffed. "He hasn't heard it from _my_ perspective."

"I called his doctor," he informed. "She'll be over soon to check on him."

She furrowed her brow in confusion. "Is that really necessary? I mean, it seems like just a regular bug to me."

"Well," Law paused and took a deep breath. _How am I supposed to say this?_ Careful not to step on the many clothes strewn haphazardly about the floor, he strode to the other side of the room and took a seat on Luffy's bed. "About Luffy… This is something his friend told me around a week ago, when I asked him why he insisted on disinfecting the counters before cooking. It's because…" He swallowed. "The thing is, Luffy was born premature. As in, _very _premature — not _too_ premature, obviously, or he wouldn't be here at all today — and as a result, his immune system isn't as strong… as it should be. He gets sick easier and more often than most people, the illness will affect him harsher, and it's harder for him to get better. It's better now than when he was a kid — Sanji told me he once almost died from a cold — but it's still pretty bad. The doctor's coming over to make sure that this doesn't have the potential to really hurt him."

"I — Oh."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees.

"Does — Does Ace know?" Nami asked.

"Well of course he does! …I think."

"What do you _mean_ you _think_?"

"I kind of assumed that Sanji told him too, but when I think about it, he really doesn't act like he knows."

"…You better tell him, before he decides he should take Luffy outside in the rain to jump in puddles."

"Yeah."

* * *

A/N: Finally done! I'm sorry about the wait, guys. Anyway, I've been planning this reveal since sometime after posting chapter two (Which was what, January?) and the way it happened continuously changed, but I think I like the way it came out. Thoughts?


	6. Haze

A/N: Nothing in this chapter is necessarily meant to be read as LuNa or LawLu, it's just that Luffy's an affectionate little bugger and I could so see him getting even more cuddly when he's sick and confused. Those of you who _are_ interested in seeing a romance written by me can check out my new AceLu oneshot called 'Red and Black', which I worked very hard on (for four months and a 13K+ word count!) and I'm very, _very_ proud of. (*Shameless self-advertisement*)

Sorry for the long wait. Spilled water on my keyboard and had to replace it, yadda, lack of inspiration, yadda, working tirelessly to finish above-mentioned oneshot and get it out, yadda, all my fault and I apologise. And now, the long awaited chapter!

* * *

Consciousness wandered into his grasp again as he felt the fingers of the girl he had met — Nami, his muddled mind placed — gently brush a lock of his hair behind his ear. Her hand was warm, a nice, soothing warmth different from the uncomfortable heat that interchanged with the shaking cold, and he really wanted to be closer to it. He felt himself whimper when it drew away.

"Doctor's here," an indeterminate voice proclaimed. It sounded both far away and vastly close at the same time. Nami stood up when she heard the words, head turned away, so he guessed she wasn't the speaker.

A second later there were larger, more masculine hands squeezing his shoulders reassuringly. "Doctor's here," the voice that was now distinctly Law's reiterated. He winced at how loud it sounded. "She's just here to check you over," it continued on a whisper, "nothing too serious, I promise."

There was a minute in which he felt nothing but the blanket and the pillow, but then a third pair of hands, withered and very familiar, lifted his chin. "Say ah."

Say ah? He was sure he'd been told to do so in the past, but at the time he could only wonder. Why ah? Why say anything? He tried anyway, knowing fully the well the consequences these particular hands weren't averse to giving. It barely came out comprehensible as his lips stuck together.

"Open your mouth, boy, and be snappy about it."

He tried again to comply, but his jaw was locked and his lips were sticky. He didn't get much headway until the doctor became impatient and separated his teeth manually. She shined a flashlight down his throat and he could almost taste it. "Can you wiggle your toes?"

He could do that.

"Good. Your circulation is going well enough… How's your breathing? Can you use your nose easily?"

That he couldn't. He attempted to shake his head slowly, but it agitated his headache and he took a sharp, steadying breath through his mouth, which was interrupted by a hiccup.

"Guess not. Get him something to drink, would you?"

As someone's footsteps began to sound farther away, and the prodding of his body continued, he had to wonder where his brother was. Law and the doctor and Nami were there, but where was Ace?

"W-where," he croaked, but his throat was _so dry_. Something that felt like a glass touched his lips, and slowly something cool and wet slipped down his tongue. He wanted to grab the glass and drink greedily, but he didn't for fear of Doctor Kureha and her ways. "Where's Nii-chan?"

"Who?" Nami asked. She sounded strangely garbled, but it was probably because of whatever was stuck in his ear. There _was_ something stuck in his ear, wasn't there? It sure felt like there was.

"He means Ace." Something made of cloth wiped leftover wetness from the corners of his lips. "He'll be home soon, little hat-wearing one. I promise."

Placated, his mind turned to the boy who usually came to visit him along with Kureha. "…Chopper?"

He heard a crackling cackle. "He's in the other room, boy. Your friend introduced him to your pet and might I say they get along _splendidly_."

"'S nice…" he forced himself to mumble. He wanted desperately to sleep again, to become dead to the world among the stark white sheets, but he wanted even more to see Ace first. Law promised he'd be home soon, so it couldn't be that long, right?

Right?

* * *

All was quiet.

Well, not quite, as they could still hear the people in the other room, but it was the sentiment.

Anyhow, all was not quite quiet but mostly so. Ace felt like he could have heard a pin drop, even though he couldn't have as it wasn't that quiet, as he watched the young boy trying to hide behind a glass of water with bewilderment.

…This _was_ his home, right? It definitely _looked_ like his home. So why was this stranger looking at him like he was an intruder, a trespasser, and why was the boy there in the first place? He hadn't walked through the wrong door, had he?

He guessed he hadn't, as the glass the boy was trying to hide behind housed Zoro, but that left the question of the boy's identity and purpose. He was certainly an odd seeming child — dressed almost exclusively in a particular shade of light brown that matched his skin tone, save for his pink shorts, his nose, which was coloured blue with what looked like marker, and the cheesy Christmas themed headband he wore, which was green with red reindeer antlers protruding from them.

It wasn't near Christmas yet, though, nor any other holiday in which one would dress up. Ace couldn't place what the antlers were doing atop the boy's head.

"…Hello, little guy," he tried. The boy shrank back in response. "I'm Ace. What's your name?"

The boy muttered something he couldn't hear. Ace cupped a hand around his ear in a signal to speak up. "…Chopper."

"It's nice to meet you, Chopper." Chopper shifted bashfully on his feet, but didn't come out from behind Zoro, as if the marimo would protect him from the unknown man. "How did you get here?"

"We drove." Chopper bit his lip and glanced left and right feverishly, looking for all the world that he was reluctantly giving away some great secret. "We took her favourite car — the blue one — all the way from the clinic, and she left it in the parking lot below the building, which I don't know if it was a good idea because what if someone decided to break into it or it was damaged while we were gone, but I hadn't thought about that until just now because she told me we were going to see Luffy and I got excited."

"You came from a clinic… to see Luffy…" The pieces put them selves together seamlessly in Ace's head. "'She' is Luffy's doctor, isn't she? And she brought you along so she could give him a check up?"

Chopper seemed earnestly confused. "Isn't that what I said?"

"For the most part, I suppose," Ace conceded. "You were a little vague on the details. …The pertinent details. You told me lots about the little things. You're friends with Luffy, then?"

Chopper turned his eyes on his own shoes, cheeks burning in shame. "No…" he admitted miserably.

"No? Why not? Luffy's not the type to turn down friends." _Or is he?_ Some little voice quibbled in the back of his mind. _You really haven't known him long enough to tell. Who's to say it wasn't his own decision to have only Sanji and Marco as friends?_

But he told that voice to shut up. The Luffy he knew was cheerful and friendly and outgoing; he wasn't and would never be the kind to sit in the corner of the room, refusing to speak to anyone if it wasn't necessary.

Luffy wasn't anything like Ace.

"I turned _his_ offer to be friends down," Chopper corrected. "It's better this way."

"Is it really?"

"Of course it is." Ace could tell Chopper was surer in his words, yet his hands shook slightly around Zoro's glass. He wasn't that intimidating, was he? Well, to such a small boy, he guessed he might have looked rather imposing…

"Why?"

"Because I'm alone."

Ace had no time to ponder this before Chopper's anxiety redoubled. "Oh no, oh no, I shouldn't have said anything," he whispered hysterically to himself. He pleaded to Ace, "I never talked to you! I've never _met_ you! I was silent and you don't even know my name! Okay?"

Ace frowned, and Chopper immediately hid himself again behind Zoro — though it wasn't a very effective hiding spot, the boy didn't seem to notice.

At that moment, an unfamiliar, old and yet spry woman emerged from down the hall.

"You must be Ace," she smiled through battered lips, "I'm Doctor Kureha."

"Glad to meet you," he took her extended hand and shook it cordially.

"I see you've… encountered my boy Chopper." She motioned.

"Who?" His lips turned up in an artificially clueless grin. "All I see is Zoro."

She laughed brusquely. "So you've talked already then? I understand. If you'd like to see your little brother, you know where he is."

"How is he?" Ace questioned with concern. He hadn't really thought Luffy was bad enough to call the doctor, but Law was the medical student, and he must have called her for her to be there. Perhaps it was more serious than he had assumed?

"Oh, he'll be fine," she waved him off. "That friend of yours is taking good care of him. And the redhead girl was eager to help, too. I think the three of you will see him right as rain."

Redhead girl? Nami was there? It didn't matter. Luffy mattered. "Can I see him?"

"Did I not just say you could, young man? Honestly, kids today need to learn how to listen."

* * *

Why were his eyelids so uncooperative? They kept drooping, and it was a struggle to keep them open. They only had to be open long enough to see Ace, so why couldn't they even manage that? It really wasn't fair, especially with Nami singing that song — _"May you have shelter in storm to hide you, may you have stars in the night to guide you…"_ — that just made him _so sleepy._

He wanted to tell her to stop, but he really also wanted to keep listening to the song. He was listening to the song so single-mindedly, he barely even heard the door swing in as softly as it did.

But then Nami's voice tapered off, and one of his eyes blinked open curiously. When it did, the first thing he saw was a warm smile, then freckles across the bridge of a nose, then dark eyes and dark hair, and he felt a comforting palm on his forehead. "Hey, kiddo." He could nearly feel the rumble of Ace's voice through his brother's hand. "You been good while I was gone?"

A small noise of joy escaped him and he slumped back, only then realising how tense he had been. The second his head fully came into contact with the pillow, he fell into the blissful slumber he had been yearning for instantly.

It had taken him long enough.

* * *

**Special Extra! Ten Years Ago!**

A younger Doctor Kureha looked sadly at the two young boys waiting together obliviously on one of the cots. One black-haired and one blond, each one a picture of childish innocence as they chatted the wait away cheerfully.

_These boys don't deserve something like this._

She, the illustrious Doctor Kureha, had been begged by a small orphanage, owned and run by an old friend of hers, to use her famous medical talents to help the black-haired boy she gazed upon now. According to Makino, The five-year-old had spent most of his life bedridden of one sickness or another, every one worst than the last. The green-haired woman's simple request was to find out what was the route cause of the boy's ailments and put it right.

She had accomplished half of her bargain.

But now she had no idea what could be done for the boy — _Luffy_, his name, as she had been told.

And his friend, the blond one — _Sanji _ — who was so very fond of Luffy, as she too had grown after the time-consuming tests she had put him through, shouldn't have to be so unimaginably cautious with his friend. Especially not when they were both so young.

They wouldn't be able to play in the dirt anymore. Luffy wouldn't be able to go out in the rain, or eat anything sold by street vendors, or travel, or go to a carnival, amusement park, or circus. He would never see a zoo, or a farm, or another country. He would miss out on so many parts of childhood, and if Sanji were a good friend at all, he would have to accommodate for that.

"Boys," she approached them faintly. They hushed themselves in anticipation when they saw her. "…Do you know anything about viruses?"

The boys shook their heads.

"Viruses are miniscule living organisms… very small animals," she amended, remembering their age. "They're so small you can't even see them. If the get in your body, they… they can hurt you. They make you sick."

"…Like monsters?" Luffy deduced naïvely. "Invisible monsters?"

"Yes, exactly. They live in many different places, but they're abundant — There are _a lot_ of them in certain areas. Dirty places, damp places, dark places…"

"Like under beds?" Sanji piped in. "It's always dark under beds, and they're never very clean."

"There are monsters under my bed?" Luffy asked with distress. "I sleep there!"

"Luffy," she put a hand on his shoulder in what she hoped was a consoling gesture. "A boy like you… is very weak to monsters. Please, promise you'll be very careful, alright? Monsters can hurt you easier than they can other people, and they like to take advantage of that."

"I will!" He nodded fervidly. "I promise I will!"

She couldn't help but smile at that. "Thank you. Now, I have to tell Makino about this back at the Centre. How about I drive you two back home? Come on, follow me."

As Doctor Kureha strode down the hall slowly, mindful of her charges shorter legs, her thoughts inevitably turned to Luffy and Sanji walking behind her, hand in hand and unaware of the way their fates were changing.

She couldn't help but think she was taking away their chance at a normal life.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys, I was wondering, what characters do you want to see turn up in this story? Obviously the straw hats, and I have roles planned for a couple other characters, too, but I'd appreciate if you told me whom you'd like to see. I'll think up their role later.

I really hope including that extra makes up for the long wait. You probably don't care, though, huh? Yeah. Sorry again.

In answer to a reviewer's question; no, I was not born premature myself, but that's not to say I didn't have my own set of birth complications. Let's just say that if my dad hadn't been paranoid enough to make the doctors double check, there wouldn't have been anyone to even make this account. I _do_, however, know someone who has an immune system issue and is sick out of school a few days every week (sometimes entire weeks altogether) and she says she would _much_ rather be at school, it's that bad. For perspective, she _hates_ school. Not that that's very unusual.

No, Nami doesn't know what Nii-chan means. She doesn't speak Japanese.

And now a question for my reviewers: Are the long waits for my chapters worth it? It occurred to me because I was recently reading a fic in which the author mentioned the three-month anniversary of the story around the twenty-seventh chapter. That's, what, ten chapters a month? You guys are lucky if you see _one_ from me.

I spend forever fleshing out what happens in a particular chapter, then writing it, then editing it for grammar and typos, and finally reading it over a few more times to make sure it accomplishes what I want it to and is all around enjoyable before I post it. But that means sacrificing efficiency for perfection (or as close to perfection as I'm capable of). So, in your opinion, is the long wait for my chapters worth it?


	7. Sharing

A/N: If you look above you, you may notice that the review count has reached a hundred! I'm amazed, because it only took six chapters. The last (and only other) story I got a hundred-review count was nearing twenty chapters when I got it. Also, congratulations to **Quetoa** for the hundredth review, and thank you!

* * *

One week was long enough for Luffy to recover; he was his usual hyperactive self in practically no time at all. Ace was overjoyed to see his brother running around like a caffeinated bumble bee, while Law was ready to tear his hair out for all the boy's rather unpredictable antics. Nami found herself between inexhaustibly amused and supremely frustrated as she got to know him.

Unfortunately, even Ace eventually tired of Luffy's boundless energy. Nami, luckily, was not forced to be around the boy nearly as much as Ace and Law, so she still had a bit of patience left for him when the two were badly in need of a break.

She had picked Luffy up early on a Saturday morning, and, after letting him squeal over her orange Mustang for a while, had brought him to first the park, then a movie theatre, and currently, the mall.

Once she was safely in a change room she fell against the door, drained. It wasn't even lunchtime yet! How was she meant to spend a whole _day_ with him? Outside, she could hear Luffy still sniffling slightly over the ending of the movie — he adamantly refused to cry — as he waited for her. She decided to stall as long as possible.

She only had five minutes before he got impatient. "Does it really take this long to change clothes? You only brought a pair of pants and a shirt."

"Well, _excuse me_," she almost growled, but restrained herself in time in consideration of Luffy's naïveté, "but I actually _care_ how things look on me before I buy them."

"Nii-chan never takes this long," Luffy grumbled, "and he _always_ looks good."

"Well, 'Nii-chan'doesn't have much to do in the way of shirts, does he?" Nami paused, throwing the (not-very-flattering) shirt in question up to hang on the stall door. "Hey, what _is_ that you call him, anyhow?"

"Nii-chan?"

"Yeah, that." She could hear him shifting on the little wooden chair outside, most likely trying to find a more comfortable position. "What's it mean?"

He paused a little and she could hear him shifting some more. "It means 'big brother' in Japanese."

"Japanese? …You're not an otaku, are you?"

"Huh? W– No!" he sputtered defensively. "…Well, I mean, I like Sailor Moon and some other— but that's not why!"

Nami suppressed her laughter at the mental image of a teenage boy watching and enjoying _Sailor Moon_ as she stepped out of the change room. "So why, then?"

Luffy turned his eyes to the floor in an almost bashful way. "Well…"

She raised her eyebrows at him to continue. He looked strained, but complied.

"I'm selfish," he whispered.

Nami picked up her chosen purchase and gestured him to follow her to the register. "And what do you mean by that?"

"He's my brother," he stressed, "and he's _my_ brother."

"Oh," she noised, giving the cashier the pants to ring up. "So you're _possessive_ of him?"

"…Yeah. Yeah, I think I am," his inflection suggested he was honestly confused at the realisation. "That's weird. I've never been possessive before… I think."

"You only _think_?"

"I might not have noticed if I was," Luffy argued. "The only way we could know for sure is if…"

"If what?" Nami prompted, taking the bag from the shopkeeper as the transaction finished.

"If Sanji said so," he finished, suddenly confidant. "He would know."

Luffy grabbed her arm and began running, pulling her out to the parking lot even though there were still shops she wanted to get to. When they got to her mustang, he started spouting directions eagerly, obviously excited to see this 'Sanji', whoever he was.

"Honestly," Nami grumbled as they both did up their seatbelts, "why are you so excited to go ask some guy if you're possessive or not?"

Luffy thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I just like seeing Sanji anyway."

* * *

Home sweet home was the sweetest home when the human parakeet wasn't home, Law decided. Yes, that was it. That must have been it, because he hadn't felt quite this relieved to return from his classes in a long time.

No one seemed to be home and the entire dorm was quiet for once, save for the couch groaning when he dropped his bag on it.

_Wait a minute, _Law noticed suddenly, turning back to glance suspiciously at the back of the sofa, _why does the couch sound human?_

The couch grew an arm that looked a lot like Ace's and chucked his bag back at Law.

Law caught the bag and blinked lethargically. _I'm either too tired for this or just tired enough as to enable hallucinations._

Law peeked over the back to check whether his roommate and his couch had been fused together somehow, but all he found was a distressed seeming roommate lying there. _Is he distressed because he is currently merging with the couch against his will?_

"What's got you moAAaaahhha–" a yawn caught him in the middle of a word. "Hm. Mopey?"

"I've had a rather disquieting revelation," Ace mumbled into a couch cushion, using the same flowery language Law knew him to do when he wanted to get his mind off of something. It allowed him to give more thought to his sentences than his words.

Law sighed. "Alright, champ," he said, sitting down on Ace's legs. Ace cursed at him, but Law thought he shouldn't bother to complain, because he was becoming part of the couch anyway and he would have to get used to it eventually, right? "Tell me."

"I realised today…" Ace ultimately ignored the person on his lower body, writing it off because Law was always a little strange when he was tired. "Luffy is seven years younger than me."

"Oh, really?" Law's eye roll might have been visible, if only his eyelids hadn't been drooping so much they obscured it. "You're a **genius**."

"Listen to the rest, will you?" Ace snapped. "Luffy is seven years my junior, and we're maternal half-brothers. _We have the same mother_."

"So?"

"_So, _my mother was _**alive**_. When I was seven, at the very least, and possibly after that." Ace's expression was something akin to heartbreak. "So why… Why didn't she raise me? Why did she _abandon _me?"

"I don't know," Law said, giving it his best to keep his eyes open — they were uncooperatively still drooping, despite the seriousness of the conversation. "Maybe she wasn't ready for a kid. Maybe she was a teen mom. Maybe she was in a career that would have put you in danger–"

"Don't make excuses," Ace snarled. "They told me she died giving birth to me."

"…Maybe she did," Law thought out loud, despite part of him knowing how this new theory of his might affect Ace, "and you and Luffy aren't really brothers. Maybe it was just a mix up with the blood tests."

There was a silence, and Law could practically feel the weight of Ace's stare — even though it was directed at the wall. The more wakeful part of his mind berated him for not considering the consequences of his words.

"…No," Ace said quietly. _Furiously._ "No, I refuse to even think that might be true. He's my brother and that's that. It's my mother that's–"

"You look up to her so much," Law pointed out. "You took her name over your father's. You would really rather loathe her than believe you might not be Luffy's brother?"

"Yes." Ace's eyes narrowed but remained on the wall. "Yes, I would."

* * *

Nami made a good attempt of finding a comfortable standing position in the cramped, dark staff area at first, but gave up when she stepped in something unidentifiable and just stood wherever she could get her feet. Luffy found a place in there like it was his natural habitat, holding the candle they had been given since the light was apparently burnt out.

The door flung open, thankfully outwards, and a blond man with the oddest eyebrow she had ever seen entered. Evidently, he was Sanji, seeing as that was what Luffy called the man when he gave him a flying hug (after, luckily, handing off the candle to Nami).

Sanji didn't exactly hug back, but he placed an amiable hand on the top of Luffy's head. "Long time no see, shit-for-brains."

"Sanji, am I possessive?" Luffy asked bluntly.

Sanji's eyebrows raised slightly. He looked between the boy still holding onto him and Nami, holding the candle and some laughter both.

"Someone finally point it out to you, did they?" he finally drawled.

"You mean I really am?" Luffy said with some mix of surprise and anxiety. "But I don't…"

"If you don't believe me, just know that in other company I would be flirting with your gorgeous lady friend there," he gestured to Nami, who smiled in appreciation at his flattery. "But I only had to suggest I _would_ around you, and you're already upset."

"No I'm not!" Luffy protested.

"I can tell that you are. Your grip just tightened and you keep glancing at her over your shoulder." Nami hadn't seen any such signs in the dim light, but Luffy froze up like a deer caught with his hoof in a cookie jar — or a child in headlights. "And now you're worried about her taking me away from you, right?"

Luffy bit his tongue. "Might be."

Nami had been planning to just stay quiet and watch the situation pan out, but she could see the conflict on Luffy's face even with only the candle's flame.

"Alright, alright," she interrupted, "we got what we came for. Let's go."

She grabbed Luffy's hand and tugged him towards the exit, but they were only almost out the door when Sanji called to them, "Luffy? Don't worry too much about it. It's perfectly natural for someone who's gone through all you have."

Luffy sucked in his lips and nodded, but Nami turned back in curiosity.

"And what does that mean?" she asked, ignoring the look Luffy gave her.

"Well, it makes sense that he wants to hold onto people, doesn't it?" Sanji drew a box of cigarettes from his pocket along with a lighter, seemingly in preparation to light one up, but held off while Luffy was still there. "When all he's really had before are people who leave."

Luffy pulled harshly on Nami's hand, making her follow him out the door and to the car. Just before they had gone out, though, she had seen him snuff the candle out with his fingers, leaving Sanji in darkness.

As they buckled into their seats, Nami looked back at the door, where the half-shadowed form of Sanji lingered. "Come again soon," it said with a pleasant smile.

The drive was long and silent. When Nami dropped Luffy off at his place, she had already driven away when she realised she had never asked him how he knew Japanese.

* * *

Late that night, Luffy was leaning over the side of his bed, watching Ace perform the ritual check for monsters. A minute passed as he stared at Ace's back before he spoke.

"Nii-chan?"

Ace pulled out his head and smiled at him. Luffy mimicked his smile and they mirrored each other, one from above and the other below the mattress.

"No monsters tonight," Ace announced cheerfully, taking off the oven mitt and colander before placing both along with the spatula inside their special drawer in Luffy's nightstand, next to the disinfectant.

"Nii-chan," Luffy said again, catching Ace's wrist. He mumbled something, but repeated himself more loudly when Ace blinked to indicate he hadn't heard. "You're my brother, right?"

Ace's hand twitched in Luffy's grip and his lips parted soundlessly. The two stared at each other, paralysed and breathless, for much more than a single moment while both worried over the answer.

Ace stood suddenly, his wrist tearing away from Luffy's hand and the younger would have sworn it was painful, but then he leaned down and collected Luffy into his arms neatly, lifting him off the bed. Luffy clutched onto Ace's neck for support.

Ace pivoted and crossed the room, sitting on his own bed with Luffy in his lap. He leaned against the wall and pulled his little brother tight against him. "Yeah. Yeah I am." He tucked his head down, nuzzling against Luffy's hair. "No matter what happens."

"Forever?" Luffy asked. "Always?"

"And more." Ace felt the boy bury his face in the crook of his neck and tightened his grip. They stayed that way for the rest of the night; Ace was already drifting away to sleep when he vaguely felt himself being kissed.

Luffy was awake much longer. When Ace was clearly asleep, Luffy pulled away by a little to raise himself and kiss his big brother three times, once on his cheek, once on his forehead, and once on the corner where lips met cheek. He didn't risk anything more, but when he settled back into place, he whispered to himself, "_My_ brother," and fell into slumber to the sound of Ace's heart and breath.

It was the first time they shared a bed, and it wasn't the last.

* * *

A/N: if a kid ever asks you to do something like look under their bed for monsters, the best thing you can do is have fun with it. Once, I was asked to babysit my cousin when he was three, and a supposedly usual lunchtime resulted in him spending two years convinced he was a cat.

The chapter title is based on multiple possible interpretations. Pick whichever you like. …And now, I have exams to study for.

**Okay, you guys, here's an open question.** What characters do you want to see be a part of the story? Other than the straw hats and Sabo, whom I have plans for that can't be changed, of course.


	8. Drama

A/N: Exams are finally _over!_ Yes! Which means I'm starting summer vacation and with it, will have more time for writing! … A little. I'm also in the middle of moving house and starting the single most monumental project in my entire pre-college career… It seems my foreseeable update schedule will be as erratic as usual.

Also, it's interesting to see which characters get the most individual votes from you guys. So far, Kidd has more than any other character with a _whopping_ four votes. Second place is Vivi, which caught me by surprise, because I had been counting her in the Straw Hats for characters I had already given roles to. Something else that makes me feel kind of exasperated are the votes for Zoro (who is, you know, only the _longest standing Straw Hat save Luffy)_.

* * *

Ubiquitously, almost all of the events of that Wednesday had been buried in their minds — the one exception being, of course, that Nami enjoyed teasing Luffy over his love of _Sailor Moon_ for a long time to come.

On Thursday morning, Ace awoke to a tickling breath on his abdomen and a pain in his neck. Somehow, they had shifted around enough in their sleep that his upper body was hanging off the bed laterally, and his lower body was anchored only by the bear trap that was Luffy's grip.

He pulled Luffy's arms from his waist like plucking leaches off after a swim in the lake and, careful not to disturb his younger brother's sleep, tucked him soundly under the covers. Only after Luffy made a contented noise and burrowed deeper into the covers did Ace check the clock on the wall.

The second he did he choked on the oxygen in his throat and rushed to get his pants on. He was nearly late.

He hurried out the door without his belt fully buckled or his shoelaces tied. He only had time to scrounge a blueberry muffin and a piece of whole-wheat bread from the kitchen before he disappeared without another backwards glance.

An hour later, Luffy's eyes fluttered open to solitude and dejection.

* * *

Luffy was glad that there little flat was only a short walk from the park, at least, because he had always liked the outdoors, even if he had to experience it alone. It was where he went most days when Ace and Law where away at classes (and when he was healthy enough to walk about, of course). The air was much fresher outside than that of the dorm, which almost seemed to stagnate with isolation, and it granted a much-needed reprieve.

This time, he wandered away from the path he usually stuck to. He had chosen it to keep from getting lost — it formed a large, closed circle through the park without any smaller, branching off trails — but it could hardly be called an adventure. So instead, he decided to cut right through the middle and see what was at the centre.

He found a duck pond, sitting as the focal point of four scattered benches. The ducks quacked peevishly at each other and fought for ample footing as the occupant of the bench nearest Luffy, a familiar looking blue-haired girl, tossed them handfuls of bread crumbs.

A grin broke his face at the sight of the ducks' internal quarrel and he couldn't help a laugh.

"Oh!" the girl exclaimed at the sound, turning to face him with an expression that spoke of surprise. "You're… Luffy?"

He paused in his merriment and frowned. "Do I know you?"

"Well, no," she admitted, her eyes turned downwards, "but I see you at the Thousand Sunny often, and Coby told me a lot about you. I'm Vivi."

Luffy nodded; he didn't know Coby very well, they were more acquaintances than anything, but he'd always had the feeling that the boy admired him more than a little bit and wouldn't think it too odd for Coby to chatter about him to his friends.

He took a seat on the other end of the bench and extended his hand, palm open and facing up, to Vivi. She looked confused for a second before he gestured to the paper bag she held in her lap and asked, "Can I have some crumbs? For the ducks?"

She mouthed another 'oh' in understanding and nodded enthusiastically. She offered the bag to him and let him delve his hand in to get the food.

"The ducks here are really quite friendly," she said. "They'll eat right from your hand if you stand still enough."

"Friendly?" he repeated incredulously. At the same time, he tossed his handful into the ducks' midst and watched them fight over it with vitriol. "But they're so mean to each other!"

"Maybe they don't really like one another anyway," Vivi theorised as a particularly vicious squabble broke out between two of the bigger mallards.

"Huh," noised Luffy, his eyes glued on the mallards. "Like, they're neighbours, and that one mows his lawn at odd hours and keeps the other one up at night?"

Vivi tittered. "Or maybe they're romantic rivals, and they're only fighting to impress the apple of their eyes."

They spent probably an hour that way, pointing out individual ducks and giving them increasingly farfetched and drama-riddled back-stories, before Vivi's father appeared to whisk his daughter home.

Luffy was left with the ducks' squalor and his own loneliness.

* * *

Ace's jalopy sputtered as it came to a stop at the intersection. His fingers drummed impatiently on the steering wheel as he watched for the light to turn green.

In the passenger seat, Luffy's eyes tracked his brother's tense form in concern. Ever since Ace returned from class that day, something had obviously been bothering him and seeing it made Luffy feel anxious.

Ace caught him looking, out of the corner of his eye, and sent him a quick smile. Luffy returned it uneasily.

Eventually, the signal turned, and the car accelerated to just under the speed limit. Inwardly, Luffy wished that Ace would drive slower, because the faster they went the less time he could have with his brother after a long day alone.

Five minutes later, Ace turned off of Water Road and onto Seventh Street. The Thousand Sunny was waiting for them right at the corner.

The jalopy came to a stop at the curb in front of it. While Luffy reached into the back seat to grab his bag, Ace surveyed the colourful structure warily.

"What kind of classes do you take here?" he asked.

His bag now held in his lap, Luffy's hand stopped before it hit the door handle. "Today I have a drama class, but I have music and art classes here, too."

Ace frowned pensively. "Then where do you, ah, take academic subjects?"

"Well…" Luffy glanced at the watch on Ace's wrist. He was going to be late, but he was in no hurry to go anywhere. "The Centre had lessons for maths and languages, but for other stuff you had to go somewhere else."

"Right…" Ace's brow furrowed. "But as long as I'm taking care of you, you're going to need some kind of education. I'll see what we can find, okay?"

Luffy nodded, finally opening the door and slipping out. He looked up at the Thousand Sunny and then turned back one last time; Ace's shoulders were slightly hunched, and he had brought his right hand up to rub his forehead. Luffy bit his lip in concern.

"Ace?" Ace's eyes moved to meet his, and yet Luffy couldn't help but feel like the older wasn't really seeing him. "Are you– Are you all right?"

Ace blinked a few times, as if the question puzzled him, but then he gave a rueful smile. "...No. No, I'm not all right."

"Oh," Luffy said simply. "Can I help?"

Ace's smile became less rueful and more honest as he reached out to take Luffy's hand in his. "You can help," he said, giving a reassuring squeeze, "just by being you. Alright? My precious little brother."

* * *

Even while Franky admonished him for being tardy, Luffy was still preening from his earlier conversation with Ace. When he went to stand with his classmates — only two that day, Coby and Helmeppo — he was practically glowing, and not even the obvious contempt Helmeppo held for him could bring his high spirits down.

"First thing first, let's give Luffy a warm welcome back!" Franky cheered, at which Coby applauded earnestly while Helmeppo gave a few half-hearted claps. "And second–"

The door was thrown wide, accompanied by an, "I'm sorry I'm late, sir!" as another student hurried in. A wisp of light blue followed her as Vivi scurried close.

"Sis, how many times do I gotta say it? Don't bother calling me sir, or mister, or anything like that," Franky said. "This is a friendly environment, get me?"

Vivi nodded. "Sorry again, s- Franky."

"Now you're catching on!" Franky clasped his hands and rubbed them together. "Okay kids, this week you guys are working on…"

Franky set them some guidelines for the scene they were to create, and then let them discuss with one another the particulars. Fifteen minutes later, they had characters; Vivi was a cynical fortune-teller, Coby an unlucky assassin, Helmeppo an arrogant prince, and Luffy an eccentric king. All that was left was to construct the actual scene and practice it.

"So our countries are at war," Helmeppo suggested, gesturing between himself and Luffy, "and we go to Vivi to have her predict who the winner will be."

"Separately," Coby put in, "and she gives you both different answers."

"Oh! And while you're there, you meet Coby," Vivi continued excitedly, "who Helmeppo hires to kill Luffy."

The three turned to Luffy, expecting him to make a contribution, but instead they were met with the sight of him gazing wistfully at the clock.

"Luffy?" Coby asked, startling the older to attention.

"What?" he said, a bit more snappishly than he meant to. "What is it?"

Coby and Vivi shared a glance, and Helmeppo gave Luffy the same disdainful stare he always did.

"We were wondering if you had any ideas for the scene," Vivi said mildly. "Helmeppo pays Coby to assassinate you, and then?"

"And then…" he trailed off, his eyes gaining a far-away quality for a second, before he shook himself back to earth. "I hire Vivi to… to scare Coby away with a bad fortune?"

Vivi and Coby nodded and returned to their discussion, but Helmeppo's narrowed eyes remained on Luffy. Luffy paid no heed to it, going back to watching the time tick forward all too slowly on the clock. Eventually, Helmeppo, too, abandoned his scrutiny of his classmate to provide more ideas to the scene. They did not bother to interrupt Luffy's reverie again.

* * *

After Franky dismissed the class, Luffy was the first one out the door. He beat the others to the shoe rack by a few minutes and was almost finished lacing his runners up by the time Helmeppo approached.

"Monkey," he spat. "Eager to leave?"

"Portgas," Luffy corrected with a grin. "I'm gonna have it changed."

"Really." Helmeppo scowled, but conceded. "Portgas, then. You think you're better than us, do you?"

"Better than you?" Luffy reiterated, blinking in confusion and shock. "Why would you think that? Why would _I_ think that?"

"Don't play dumb." He glared. "It's obvious. So we're not good enough to work with you? Is that what you think of us?"

"It isn't!"

"Of course it is," Helmeppo said. "You've never bothered to make friends with anyone except that Usopp kid, and you don't even talk to him much. And now you can't even be troubled to participate in class–"

"You're wrong," Luffy protested, to no avail. "I just– I _don't_…"

"Save it for someone who'll believe you. My best friend might admire you, Portgas, but I certainly don't. You've done nothing to deserve it."

Helmeppo turned on his heel and stalked away, slipping his shoes back on as he went.

Luffy was left with nothing but his own shame and loneliness.

* * *

That evening in the car park under Ace's building, the jalopy rolled in noisily, breaking the previous silence. The vehicle's passengers, however, were not so loud.

Ace and Luffy endured the drive from the Sunny to home in a tense state of quiet. Ace focused on the road, while Luffy inspected his own fidgeting hands relentlessly. Ace parked the car in its usual spot expertly and exited as soon as he had pulled the keys out of the ignition. He waited a few seconds for Luffy, but when the boy stayed seated, he rounded the hood and opened the door for his brother.

Luffy looked up, startled, as if he hadn't noticed that the car had stopped. "Ace?"

"Come on, then." Ace reached to undo Luffy's seatbelt for him, but Luffy caught his wrist before he could.

"Ace," Luffy implored in a small voice, "…I don't think anyone is better than anybody else," he stated, more for his own ears than Ace's.

"Of course you don't," said Ace. "I know that."

"Yeah," Luffy whispered. He let go of Ace's wrist and let his older brother pull him out of the car and to his feet. When he was upright, he slumped into Ace's arms limply.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no…" The silence dragged oppressively. "…I'm just tired."

"Do you want me to carry you upstairs?"

There was another long pause; slowly, Luffy nodded, and Ace shifted the small boy onto his back easily.

As the thumps of Ace's footsteps came to be a predictable, comforting pattern, Luffy stretched his neck forward a little and planted an absentminded kiss below Ace's ear. Drifting off to sleep, he couldn't help but think to himself that what he told Ace was a lie; he really _did_ think there was someone better than everyone else.

Luffy was lucky enough to be that someone's brother.

* * *

A/N: I got a shiny new Paranatural icon! YES! (Well, not so much new; it's from the end of the second chapter. But still.) Getting it made me decide to see if there was a Paranatural section on this site, and what do you know… there wasn't. Why can't there be? I would love it and fill it with brainchildren!

(Those of you who haven't read the webcomic Paranatural, what are you waiting for? Go on! It will _change __your_ _**life!**_)

I also made a shiny new FAQ on my profile. Only one of the questions is about WYGFAMC, regarding whether it's AceLu or brotherly, and the answer basically just says that I intentionally made it so it can be interpreted either way, but if you read my other stories you might want to take a look. It's also pitifully small, so any more questions would be helpful.

Why was Vivi at the park on a school day? I feel the need to address it here, because it's not going to come up in-story for a while yet. Her family has a lot of money, so instead of attending school like most kids, Vivi's father hires private tutors for her. We'll see her around again.

I swear I didn't _plan_ to make Helmeppo so mean... I just meant for him to be mildly antagonistic, and then I guess I got carried away with the prospect of putting Luffy through more unpleasantness.


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